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Patented Jan. 27,1891.

WITNESSES:

3 Sheets-Sheet 2. 0. FLOHR. GAR GOUFLING.

(No Model.)

14014455245v Patented Jan. Z7, 1891.

INVENTOR: 7%;

WITNESSES: M

By /zzs Afmmeysj mmm a/@Q (N0 Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

O. P-LOHR. GAR GOUPLING.

No. 445,245. PatentedJan. 27, 1891.

l INVENTOR:

WITNESSES; M M

@FW By /zz's zfomeys, M M /@o E uiTEn STATES i PATENT OEEICE.

OTTO IFI/OHP, Ol? BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO CHARLES A. POOLEY, OF SAME PLACE.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 445,245, dated January 27, 1891.

Application iiled October 6, 1890. Serial No. 367,274. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, OTTO FLOHR, a citizen of the United States, residing in Bulfalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York,

have invented certain new and useful Improvenients in Car-Couplers, ol' which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to twin couplers of the class havingI a coupling-jaw mounted in io the coupler-head and adapted to swing from an inner or closed position to an outer or open position. A swinging pawl or other locking device is provided for locking the couplingjaw in the closed position. Couplers of this type are known generally as Janney cellplers. In couplers of this kind as heretofore constructed the swinging coupling jaw or hook has been pivoted on a vertical axis. In uncoupling a pair of couplers it is customzo ary to release the jaw of only one, which is turned outwardly by the pulling of the other jaw away from it. In coupling it is necessary that at least one of the jaws shall be turned outwardly. It very commonly occurs that the coupling-jaw, after heilig thrown outward in the act of uncoupling, instead of remaining therein position to be recoupled, will of itself swing inwardly,owing to the jarring and uneven motion of the car, so that in order to prepare it for coupling it must be swung outward by hand. It also frequently occurs that both the couplers which it is desired to couple together are closed, in which case it is necessary to open one of them; but upon releasing the lock the coupling-jaw will ordinarily remain in its closed position, requiring to be swung outwardly by hand. Attempts have been-made to remedy these Wellknown defects by providing means for autoniatically swingingl the coupling-jaw to its outermost position when released and retaining it there until it is forcibly swung inward in the act of coupling. The means proposed for this purpose have consisted of a spring exerting a rotative tension against the coupling-jaw; also of inelines beneath the jaw, so that by its own weight it should tend to slide down these inclines and thereby be swung outwardly; also by pivoting the jaw on an inclined axis, so that by its own weight it tends to swing outward. The use of springs is objectionable by reason of complication, liability to breakage, and the dilliculty of applying a spring in strong and durable manner to a coupling-head in such position as to be effective in its action and yet be protected from injury. The application of gravity inclines is found objectionable in practice by reason of the difficulty of casting them, and because unless finished with a smoothness impracticable in so crude a structure as a coupler the friction is so great that they are ineffective to impart the desired outward swing to the coupling-jaw. Even if smoothly finished they are liable by rusting to become so rough as to generate suliicient friction to overcome their tendency to swing the jaw outwardly.

The pivoting of the coupling-jaw on an inclined axis, while in theory overcoming the disadvantages of springs and gravity inclines, and enabling the jaw and head to be cheaply made with smooth working or pivotal surfaces, has, as heretofore proposed, involved the serious disadvantages of weakening the coupling-head and introducing unequal and oblique strains, th rowinggreater strain on the coupling-jaw and leaving it less protected by the head.

Myinvention constitutes an improvement in couplers heretofore proposed wherein the pivotal axis ot' the coupling-jaw is inclined to impart to it a tendency to swing outwardly.

My invention consists in forming the arm or horn of the bifurcated head to which the jaw is pivoted with its exterior faces vertical, and consequently eccentric to the inclined pivotal axis, as distinguished from forming them inclined and concentric with said axis. I form the outer face of the coupling-jaw to assume a vertical when in the coupled position and the exterior of the horn of the head is made also vertical and eoincidently joining the face of the jaw, so that this horn on striking the abutting face of the opposite coupler will receive the strain thereof equally from top to bottom and protect the coupling-jaw in great part from strain, thus avoiding all unequal or oblique strains, which are liable to fracture the coupler when two cars come together with considerable impact, and protecting the coupling-jaw and its pivotal pin from strains or shocks for which their construction and dimensions necessarily unfit ICO them. lt. has also been customary, in coup'- lers of this cla-ss wherein a pivoted lockingpawl is employed for locking the couplingjaw, to either press this pawl into the locked position by a spring or to mount it upon rising and falling inclines, so that as it is retracted from the locked position it mounts these inclines, and when released it automaticall y swings back to the locked position by descending the inclines. Both springs and inclines thus applied are subject to the same objections and to nearly the same extent as when applied to the coupling-jaw. I overcome these objections by mounting the locking-pawl also upon an inclined pivotal axis, so that by reason of the inclination of this axis it tends to swing toward the locked position. It is consequently rendered selfacting by virtue of its own construction and arrangement and irrespective of any extraneous tension, such as springs or inclined cam-faces.

Figure-l of the accompanying drawings is a horizontal section of a coupler constructed according to my invention, shown in the coupled position, the head of another coupler intercoupled with it being shown in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a similar section showing the coupler in the uncoupled position. Fig. 3 is a Vertical section cut in general on the line 3 in Fig. 2, and looking toward the middle of the coupler. Fig. 4 is a vertical section looking'from the opposite side cut in general, as denoted by the line 4 4 in Fig. 2. Fig. 5-is a horizontal section of the coupling-jaw in the plane of theline 5 5 in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is an elevation thereof in the direction of the arrow 6 in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 illustrates a modified construction, the viewbeing cutin the same plane as Fig. 4. Fig. S isa plan of the construction of coupler shown in Fig. 7. Fig. 9 is a longiY tudinal section in the same general plane as Fig. 3, and showing a fir-ther modification.

Referring to Figs. l to 4, the coupler-head A is constructed,.as usual, in the form of a hollow shell with two projecting arms or horns a and b and an intervening opening or depression. To the right-hand horn b is pivoted the coupling-jaw B, which is formed .with two arms, a coupling arm or nose c, andalocking arm or tail (Z. lVhen coupled, it is turned into the position shown in Fig. l; but when uncoupled or open it is turnedyoutwardly to the position shown in Fig. 2.

rlhe locking-pawl C is pivoted within the head and is formed with vengaging faces ef, one or other of which engages the lockingface g on the coupling-jaw when the latter is in the coupled position. Suitable means are provided for drawing back the locking-pawl C, in order to release the coupling-jaw-such, for example, as a chain h, attached thereto and passing out through a suitable opening in the top of the head.

For a car-coupler the head is formed on the front end of a draw-bar D, as shown in Figs. l to 4, while for a tender or locomotive coupler it is formed with a flange t' on its rear side to be fastened against the buffer-beam, as shown in Figs. '7 and 8.

The axial pin E, on which the coupling-jaw is pivoted, is arranged on a suitable inclination from the Vertical, as shown in Fig. 3.

It is preferably inclined forward, as shown best in Figs. 1 and 2, its axis being coincident with a longitudinal plane, but this is not essential. By reason of the projection of the arms c and d. of the coupling-jaw approximately at right angles to one another, the center of gravity of the jaw is considerably to one side of the pivotal axis. In the construction shown it is approximately at the' position shown at .fr in Figs. l and 2. As the coupling-jaw swings from the coupled position to the open position its center of gravity moves approximately ninety degrees around the axis following an inclined plane perpendicular to the inclined axis, so that in swinging outwardly it descends to a lower level, namely, from approximately w in Fig. 3 to The jaw has consequently a normal tendency to swing outwardly to and beyond the outermost position, so that when released it executes this swinging movement, and on reaching the outer position it is stopped by abutment against a shoulder j, formed by the front end of the side wall of the coupler-head.

When the coupling-jaw B isin the coupled position, as shown in Fig. l, its engaging faces-that is to say, its locking-face g and its intercoupling faces 7s and Z-stand vertically, as does also preferably its outer face fm. Such of these faces as extend in any degree transversely of the coupler are consequently out of parallel with the inclined axis, so that as the couplin g-j aw swings outwardly these faces assume inclined positions, as shown in Fig. 2. The seating-face p, on which the couplingjaw rests in rotating, is preferably iinished smooth and should be inclined in a plane perpendicular to the inclined axis.

The exterior rounded faces n n of the horn b of the coupling-head, instead of being made inclined, parallel, and concentric with the inclined axis, as would most naturally be done by a mechanic, are made vertical, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, so as to meet or coincide with the vertical exterior face of the jaw when the latter is in the coupled position, as shown in Fig. l. Inasmuch as this horn enters with the jaw into the bifurcation of the opposite coupling-head, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, and the meeting faces n n of the recessed portion of the heads are made vertical, as shown in Fig. 4, the faces n 'It in striking these faces 'n' n receive the shock or strain equally,`dividing it between them and protecting the head from any unequal or oblique strains which would tend to fracture it. By the projection of the faces n n. into coincidence with or even beyond the outer face m of the jaw they protect the jaw from undue shock. Otherwise the jaw would have to receive the entire shock of impact IIO against the opposite head and would transmit it through its pin to the head, thus unduly straining both jaw and pin, neither of which can practically be made of such dimensions as to adapt them to receive such strains. My invention thus adapts the coupler to sustain severe strains without injury, and while utilizing all the advantages of the inclined pivotal axis for the coupling-jaw avoids the disadvantages heretofore inherent therein.

'lhe axial pin F,on which the locking-pawl C turns, is also arranged at an inclination, as best shown in Fig. 4, so that the pawl tends to swing forwardly or to the locked position. The face rj, on which the pawl rests, is preferably inclined in a plane perpendicular to Aits inclined axis. 'lhe engaging faces of the pawl-namely, the locking-faces c andj'l and the front or displacing` face rmare preferably madeto stand vertically when the pawl isili the locked position,as shown in Fig. l,being consequently out of parallel with the inclined axis, so that. as the pawl is swung backwardly its faces become inclined, as shown in Figs. 2 and S3. rllhe boss of the pawl is preferably made as a segment of a cylinder concentric with its axis and turning in a concentric recess s in the wall of the head, constituting a re-enforce bearing for relieving the pivotal pin F of strain.

The coupling-arm c is made heavier than the tail or locking-arm d, in order both to strengthen it and to carry the center of gravity fart-ner forward. This is believed to assist in the swinging movement by reason of the momentum of the arm. The tail is lightcned by being hollowed on the back and stiffened by a single rib or web t at its middle, while the coupling-arm is divided, as usual, by a recess u, in which the link may be connected for intercoupling with a link-and-pin coupler. The increase in weight of the coupling-aun is effected by increasing its width to the extent of the thickness of the rib 1:, (shown in Fig. 5,) its outline and that of the head being modilied correspondingly.

Instead of merely inclining the pivotal axis of the jaw and pawl, the entire coupling-head may be inclined, as shown in Figs. 7 and S, except that the meeting faces n and to of the head are modified to render them vertical. The engaging faces of the couplingjaw and locking-pawl are also made to stand vertically when in the coupled position.

Fig. 9 shows a modification wherein the inclination of Jthe axis of the coupling-jaw is very slight, and perhaps insuflicient in itself to effect the automatic swinging out of the jaw when released.

To increase the tendency to swing outward and thereby accomplish the same purpose as by a greater inclination of the axis, inclines y y are provided, the former on the bearing-face of the head and the latter on the under side of the coupling-jaw. These inclines may be insu'llicient of themselves to effect the outward-swinging movement, but

by a very slight inclination of the axis the inclines are made effective, The exact extent of inclination of the pivotal axis of the coupling-jaw from a true vertical is not essential.

In practice, with a jaw having a height of six and one-half (Ggf) inches at its pivot, I incline the axis at its upper end from oneeighth to one-half of an inch from a plumbline intersecting the axis at the lower end; but a greater or less inclination may be used. The greater the angle the more certain is the automatic swinging movement; but if the bearing-surfaces of the pivot are smoothly finished so as to reduce the friction tothe minimum a very slight inclination will be stiflicient.

My invention is applicable not only to .Ianney couplers, but also to others operating on any analogous principle, and especially to those involving' a swinging hook or jaw which engages some part of the opposite coupler.

I claim as my invention the following-defined novel features substantially as hereinbefore specified, namely:

l.. A car-coupler comprising a bifurcated head and a swinging coupling-jaw pivoted to one of the horns of said head on an axis inclined from the vertical, and said hea-d constructed with its horn to which said jaw is pivoted terminating in vertical exterior faces eccentric to the pivotal axis, whereby said horn is adapted to engage the vertical meeting faces on the head of another coupler with which it is intercoupled.

2. A car-coupler comprising a bfurcated head and a swinging coupling-jaw pivoted to one arm thereof on an axis inclined from the vertical, said jaw formed with the engaging face of its coupling-arm out of parallel with the axis, so as to be vertical when in the coupled position, and said head formed with its arm to which said jaw is pivoted terminating in vertical exterior faces eccentric to the pivotal axis and coincident with the exterior faces of the jaw when it is in the coupled position, for the purposes specified.

3. Acar-couplercomprisinga head, aswinging coupling-jaw, and a swinging lockingpawl, said pawl pivoted to the head on au inclined axis, whereby it tends normally to swing to the locked position.

4. A car-coupler comprising a head, a swinging coupling-jaw, and a swinging lockingpawl, said pawl pivoted to the head on an inclined axis, whereby it tends normally to swing to thelocked position, and formed with its engaging faces vertical when in the locked position.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

O'l" O FLOHR.

Xilitnesses:

ARTHUR C. Fnxsnn, FRED WHITE.

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